Months since Chrysler and General Motors emerged from bankruptcy protection with a government ownership stake in the companies in exchange for the billions of dollars they received in federal loans, Democrats and Republicans are still bickering over the auto bailout.

All this week Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) traded barbs. McCain fanned the flames on Sunday, saying while serving as grand marshal at a Nascar race that "anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I'd like to meet them."

Peters responded with a letter accepting the challenge, saying he should check out Chrysler’s headquarters for himself. "Hopefully then you might choose to be a partner in the continued success of an industry critically important to our country," Peters quipped.

McCain shot back: "What I meant was any objective observer." And Peters quickly compiled a list of independent industry experts to vouch for him.

When GM posted a $1.2 billion third-quarter loss on Monday, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele issued a statement that said GM’s loss was "further proof that President Obama’s economic experiments are wrong for America."

In turn, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) slammed the GOP: "At a time when Republicans should be saluting an American company paying back taxpayers, fulfilling commitments and finding its footing, Steele prefers to go for political points and slam President Obama. The President has been truly courageous in the way he has tried to reinvigorate the auto industry and protect American jobs. He didn’t just invest in a company or an industry; he invested in the millions of American workers."